BOA Editions and the University of Rochester invite the public for a special poetry reading at the university's Rush Rhees Library on Wednesday, April 6, from 5:30pm - 7:00pm—during National Poetry Month.

This celebratory kickoff to the university's BOA Editions exhibit—running through July 29, 2016—will commemorate BOA's milestone 40th anniversary, as well as the university's recent acquisition of the press' last decade of publishing archives. Bringing together many of Rochester's brightest lights—including Mayor Lovely Warren, writers, readers, students, professors, and media—the event will feature a group poetry reading with representatives from both the university and BOA communities, followed by a light reception.

This event is free and open to the public.

An exhibition celebrating BOA Editions' 40th anniversary is also on display in the Rush Rhees Library's Friedlander Lobby through July 29. Entitled "BOA Editions: 40 Years of Connecting Writers with Readers," this retrospective explores BOA's evolution over the years through an extensive display of BOA volumes published between 1976 and 2016. Selected typescripts, book and cover designs, correspondence between authors and editors, and BOA publicity samples—all drawn from the archives of BOA Editions acquired by the River Campus Libraries beginning in 2005—reveal the life-cycle through which poetry and literature move from submission to published work.

The exhibit will be available for viewing just outside the Hawkins-Carlson Room during the April 6 event.

As BOA Editions celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, the University of Rochester is reaffirming its belief in the importance of BOA’s history and future. In 2005, the university acquired BOA’s 1996-2005 publishing archives, which include materials related to the publication of BOA books and the organization’s general operations. In 2016, the university will make a Finding Aid for these holdings available online, which will enable scholars to search, utilize, and focus their research on particular pieces of the complete BOA Publishing Archives. In 2015, the university acquired the press’ 2006-2016 archives, thus becoming the largest repository of BOA materials.